rocky41_7: (tlt)

Honestly kind of fascinated with Harrow’s parents...like obviously they were shit parents and they treated both Harrow and Gideon very poorly, but while Gideon initially casts them as ice-hearted ambition-driven cartoon villains, her viewpoint shifts after The Pool Scene, and then we catch a few more glimpses of them through Harrow’s recollections in HtN...both women by then seem to view Pelleamena and Priamhark as yes, cold and unsympathetic people, but also people tormented with guilt over what they did.

This is why Gideon’s survival is such a problem for them. If they felt nothing about it, would they have cared so much that one kid made it? Sure, it’s freakish that Gideon survived, but her survival wouldn’t mean anything. But to two adults who committed the crime they had just committed, who had ransomed the youth of their House for a chance at revival, Gideon is a constant, walking, talking reminder of what they did.

“Memory took Pelleamena’s steady gaze, and refocused the way it slid through and over Gideon from contempt to dread. It took the stentorious, short-changed breath when Priamhark saw her and breathed it again in horror, not repugnance. One small kid who, to two adults, was a walking reminder of the day they chose to mortgage the future of their House.” (Gideon the Ninth, pg. 353)

They lash out at Gideon because as long as she lives they can’t escape their culpability. Gideon is every child of the Ninth who should have lived to adulthood. Every year Gideon lives is another year all of those children were denied. It’s even possible they saw Gideon’s survival as a sign from God the Emperor, that her survival was a miracle and she was meant to be the flail with which they were beaten for their crimes. To consider even for a moment that the Emperor already knew what they had done would have been terrifying.

This also contributes to why Harrowhark’s little expedition into the Tomb causes her parents to off themselves. For two people who had spent 10 years beating back their guilt over mass slaughter and trying to train their daughter into a necromancer of such surpassing skill and dedication that it would justify their crimes, hearing that she had done the one thing the Ninth House was created to prevent broke down whatever was left of their ability to pretend. They could not face the shame of the Emperor over what Harrowhark had done--and they could not face the condemnation of the other eight Houses over what they had done.

“‘My parents killed themselves because they were frightened and ashamed,’ said Harrow tightly. ‘They thought it was the only honorable thing to do.’

‘I think your parents must’ve been frightened and ashamed for a hell of a long time.’” (pg. 355) 

Harrow also characterizes what was done as an act of desperation--if for no other reason than, even if they felt nothing about the actual murders, Pelleamena and Priamhark realized what it would do to the Ninth House’s future to sacrifice an entire generation of its people.

“‘My mother needed to carry a child to term, and that child needed to be a necromancer to fill the role of true heir to the Locked Tomb. But as necromancers themselves, they found the process doubly difficult. We hardly had access to the foetal care technology that other Houses do. She had tried and failed already. She was getting old. She had one chance, and she couldn’t afford chance.’“ (pg. 351).

This also makes the Emperor’s reaction to Harrowhark’s confession interesting, because John created the world in which Pelleamena and Priamhark felt that not only was this a viable option, it was their best option. He bears the guilt of what they did as well--this world is his, his vision, and this act of mass murder was committed in his name--in the interest of guarding the Locked Tomb for the Emperor’s sake.

Obviously none of this absolves them, either for the murder of the Ninth House youth or for the way Gideon (and frankly, Harrow) was treated growing up but it is interesting I think to imagine these people who were so tormented by what they did that they could be undone by two children.

 

rocky41_7: (tlt)
 
 "At the top of the stairs they stopped, and the Reverend Daughter looked back searchingly.      
She said abruptly, 'Why did you want to be a Lyctor?'     
...      
The older woman was leaning against Protesilaus' arm. She looked extraordinarily sad, even regretful; when she caught Gideon's eye, a tiny smile tugged up the corners of her mouth, then drooped again. Eventually she said: 'I didn't want to die.'"

  -- Gideon the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir 

The first time reading: (┬┬﹏┬┬) It’s so tragic that Dulcinea has to die! 

The second time reading: AUGHSNGFGNGHHHHH
rocky41_7: (tlt)

I do remember one of the things I liked about GtN is how enthusiastic Gideon is about things. No she doesn’t want to go with Harrow to the Lyctor trials, but she’s excited to be off-planet and she’s excited to meet new people and she’s excited to try new things. She just seems so full of life. She presses her face up against the window as they come into the atmosphere of the First House and says the line-up of shuttles is “exquisite” and “incredible.”

Here is how she describes Canaan House after getting off the shuttle:

“The metal was caked with salt from the water, salt that now assaulted Gideon’s nose: a thick, briny scent, overpowering and wild. The whole place had the look of a picked-at body. But hot damn! What a beautiful corpse.” (pg. 70)

Gideon just seems fascinated with everything: with the First House, with Teacher, with Dulcinea, with the air and the sky and the water. Honestly I think it’s her most charming trait: her vivacity.

rocky41_7: (tlt)

I can’t believe I’ve never posed about this but Jod’s baby fingers crown was such an excellent way of Muir telling us he’s not the nice guy he seems to be. Gideon repeatedly notes the “infant finger bone crown” that Jod wears. Like, a notable number of tines. And the first time you hear it, any reader from our world is horrified. Baby fingers?? He’s wearing baby bones? That is a horrible awful grotesque thing to do! It feels particularly disrespectful to co-opt parts from a baby that died, worse somehow than taking adult bones.

But having just read through GtN, my first thought was “it’s probably not that weird for the people in the book though.” They are surrounded by death. They worship death, they glorify death, they use death. To Harrow and Gideon, the infant finger bone crown might be noteworthy because the Emperor is wearing it, but possibly not for any other reason. The use of bones and other body parts or spiritual energies is everyday stuff for them. Maybe it was even considered an honor to donate your baby’s bones to the Emperor. So after my own initial squick I brushed it off.

But then...Gideon keeps mentioning it. And implies that Harrow keeps noticing it.  Which to me, says one of two things:

a) I was wrong, it actually is upsetting to them

b) Muir keeps pointing it out so we remember it

Obviously the crown comes up as a symbol of Jod’s power and Downtroddendiety did an excellent meta on his use of the crown, but I feel like there’s some additional symbolism going there: it’s a warning of how dangerous he is.

If Harrow and Gideon are upset by the use of infant finger bones--although they wouldn’t say so because this is the Necrolord Prime they’re talking to here--it makes sense they keep noticing it, and this is one of those things that has the potential to make you instantly mistrust someone. So this one little observation may suggest that the hairs on Harrow’s neck are up about Jod and she doesn’t entirely trust him...which leads into point two:

Even if Gideon and Harrow don’t find the infant finger bone crown especially upsetting, Muir knows that we, the readers, do. If you met someone wearing baby finger bones as jewelry, that would be one of those things so instantly, viscerally upsetting that it would be hard to ever trust that person, or believe they were a good person, isn’t it? Especially if they were someone in a position of power. It would be hard to look them in the face--it would be hard to do anything but keep noticing that they’re wearing baby bones. It would be hard to stop wondering how they got those, and why they choose to wear them as a symbol of power. It’s such a massive red flag it’s more like a warning road flare.

So one way or the other, Muir is communicating with this one small detail that this guy is bad news. Obviously she does this a number of other ways too, but this one started to seem so glaring to me. The dude is wearing baby fingers on his head, as a symbol of his power. This is not a nice guy. This is not a guy who was brought to power by democratic means.  This is not a guy you can trust.

rocky41_7: (tlt)


I pray the Tomb is shut forever. I pray the rock is never rolled away. I pray that which was buried remains buried, insensate, in perpetual rest with closed eye and stilled brain.

Eternal life to the Emperor Undying!

i. I Remember Les Friction ii. O Fortuna Andre Rieu iii. Hope in the Air Laura Marling iv. Control Halsey v. Gloria Regali Tommee Profitt and Fleurie vi. Memories Within Temptation vii. Girls Beatrice Eli viii. Wreath of Barbs :Whumpscut: ix. Salvation Hurts MXMS x. Angel Massive Attack xi. Love Comes Home Les Friction



rocky41_7: (tlt)
With all my finals done and essays turned in I've finally had time to focus on some reading, which meant tackling Gideon the Ninth, which I bought over the summer and didn't have time for, being engaged in The Silmarillion. And I have to say, I see now why I've seen it kicked around on a number of queer book lists. I really enjoyed it! It's definitely fast-paced, but I didn't feel like it rushed through the story, and the world-building didn't try to paint an entire picture, but instead gave us enough very vivid abstract pieces for us to fill in gaps ourselves. I think there's a benefit to this as in some cases, less extensive world-building means it's harder to poke holes in the logic of the world the author is creating. I thought her style was punchy and witty without crossing into obnoxious, or feeling like it was trying too hard to be contemporary.

Really looking forward to getting the next one, although I'll have to wait a few days now because everything is closed (*  ̄︿ ̄)

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